Why do we get Acne?

Acne is a common skin condition that affects most people at some point in their life. It is most common between the ages of 18-39 but it does affect people in their 40s and 50s. 

What is Acne? 

  Acne causes spots and oily skin and can sometimes be hot and/or painful to touch. Everyone is affected differently but most commonly, acne develops on the face, back and chest, though it can also show up on the shoulders, upper arms, groin, buttocks and armpit areas.

There are six main types of spot caused by acne; blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules, nodules and cysts.

To put it simply, acne occurs when the sebaceous gland produces an excess of sebum, which is then broken down by the bacterium causing the symptoms already discussed.

Causes from a conventional point of view

Acne is most commonly attributed to hormones. According to the NHS choices website, increased testosterone during puberty causes the sebaceous glands to over-produce sebum.  

NHS choices also states that 80% of cases of adult acne occurs in women. As with puberty, these cases are put down to being linked to hormone levels at certain times, such as periods and pregnancy for women.

Many risk factors have been identified as exacerbating acne, such as a high GI or dairy diet, poor hygiene and stress. Acne has also been seen to run in families, but no genetic link has been established.

A Meta-Health overview

Meta-Health explains exactly how and why an illness starts. With the exception of poisoning and accidents, all dis-eases begin with a traumatic life event: a dramatic, emotional shock that is unexpected and leaves us temporarily stunned. Whether the shock is a major trauma, hearing bad news or simply seeing something unpleasant, the body-mind takes over, switching into fight-flight-freeze. At the same time, we experience a reaction in a specific organ. Which organ responds depends on the emotion we experience. Meta Medicine maps emotions to organs, via the brain, based on an understanding of the organ’s function, the body’s reaction is always meaningful. 

Acne from a Meta-Health point of view

The biological and emotional causes of acne originate in the sebaceous glands of the dermis layer of the skin. The epi-dermis (outer-skin) is a semi-permeable membrane which offers little protection, its function is to sense and respond to the outer environment. Protection comes from the deeper, thicker layer of skin, the dermis. Therefore, when we get a change in the dermis, such as a blockage in the sebaceous gland, we know that this reaction is connected with the theme of self-protection. A cell increase as in the case of overproduction of sebum indicates the need for more protection.

The cause of acne in Meta-Health is defined as a defilement-deformed-integrity-trauma conflict. This could have been caused by a dramatic emotional shock where we felt defiled, deformed, dirtied or ugly or by a situation in which our integrity was attacked or breached in some way. Because the function of the dermis is protective, it reacts to the feeling that we need to protect ourselves from this attack on our identity or integrity.

The initial trauma or shock that starts this reaction is often (but not always) associated with bullying or criticism of one’s appearance. Acne in most cases starts during puberty and is possibly linked to more than just an increase in hormones. It is during this time between around 13-17 that young people start to assert their identities and the peer group becomes really important, it is a very self-conscious time. Even a passing comment about our appearance, sexuality or attractiveness can have a significant, negative impact.

 

Acne as a two phase process

The symptoms of acne are part of a natural and meaningful healing cycle. The process begins with a dramatic incident such as being bullied or a trigger such as feeling ugly which puts us into phase 1.

Sympathetic Stress (Phase 1):

During this phase we are worrying about being unattractive or criticised inb some way and feel the need to protect ourselves. This is the phase when the sebum increases and we experience the symptoms of localised pain and small, red, tender spots.

This phase is also characterised by some more general symptoms such as:

§  Obsessive thinking about the incident

§  Reduced appetite

§  Lack of sleep

§  Cold hands and feet

Parasympathetic Regeneration (Phase 2):

This phase begins when we let go of the feeling we had in phase 1 or we remove ourselves from the environment away from the trigger and no longer need to protect ourselves. Bacteria is then able to begin degrading the excess sebum and producing the waste products and fatty acids that appear as spots. The skin then normalises at the end of this process.

This phase is also characterised by some more general symptoms such as:

§  More relaxed thinking

§  Increased appetite

§  Tiredness

§  Increased temperature

 

Why does acne become chronic?

Once somebody has experienced a traumatic life event and gone through the disease cycle (the two phases discussed earlier), a reminder of the original event is often enough to re-trigger the conflict. They don’t have to experience another trauma, just experience similar feelings. This is an intelligent biological process that occurs in order to make the organ stronger and less flexible than it was previously, in order to prevent it from happening again.

 

Why does acne appear on different parts of the body?

If acne really was just about hormones then everyone would have acne in the same place, but they don’t because it is different for everyone, which must mean the location is meaningful. In order to reveal the meaning, we have to look at the function of the particular area of the body where the acne is presenting itself.

For example, for many people acne is predominantly on the face. The face is used to express ourselves and make contact with others. If we feel we have been defiled in relationship to our communication, specifically, it is likely the spots would show up around the mouth and, if we feel embarrassed, they are likely to show up on the cheeks.

Every body part has a meta-meaning that will be relevant, so for example if the spots were on the neck it will be related to intellectual or moral injustice and the shoulders and upper back with burden.

 

How do we stop the cycle?

In order to fully heal acne, a fully integrative healing plan would need to be put in place that addresses the thoughts, beliefs and emotions that led to the issue and those that have appeared as a result of living with having acne. Other therapeutic techniques such as EFT may also be used to remove the negative emotions around the issue.

 

 

If you would like to find out more about Meta-Health can help you, please get in touch with us, we’d be happy to have a chat.

 

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